Colditz cover art

Colditz

Prisoners of the Castle

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

In a forbidding Gothic castle on a hilltop in the heart of Nazi Germany, an unlikely band of British officers spent the Second World War plotting daring escapes from their German captors. Or so the story of Colditz has gone, unchallenged for 70 years. But that tale contains only part of the truth.

The astonishing inside story, revealed for the first time by bestselling historian Ben Macintyre, is a tale of the indomitable human spirit, but also one of class conflict, homosexuality, espionage, insanity and farce. Through an astonishing range of material, Macintyre reveals a remarkable cast of characters, wider than previously seen and hitherto hidden from history, taking in prisoners and captors who were living cheek-by-jowl in a thrilling game of cat and mouse.

From the elitist members of the Colditz Bullingdon Club to America's oldest paratrooper and least successful secret agent, the soldier-prisoners of Colditz were courageous and resilient as well as vulnerable and fearful -- and astonishingly imaginative in their desperate escape attempts. Deeply researched and full of incredible human stories, this is the definitive book on Colditz.

© Ben MacIntyre 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

 Europe Germany Military War Thought-Provoking

Critic reviews

A fine feat of storytelling . . . will surely become the last word on the subject (Patrick Bishop)
Like watching a black-and-white photograph being colourised . . . rich in humour and quirky detail . . . another compelling narrative (Clare Mulley)
Nuanced and gripping . . . told with sensitivity and insight, with an eye for telling detail (Gerard DeGroot)
Fascinating
Every Ben Macintyre book is a treat (Jane Thynne)
Entertaining yet objective and often moving
Macintyre's genius has long been to excavate the nuance, subtlety and ambiguity beneath the myths he explores . . . remarkable (Matthew D'Ancona)
Another fine history . . . His unerring eye for the telling detail that can illuminate a greater story is apparent in Colditz (Ronan McGreevy)
Macintyre so seamlessly fuses so many different accounts that their compilation creates something more profound than a simple escape yarn: a biography of the prison itself and the world detainees built there (Andrea Pitzer)
Macintyre recreates the daring escape stories with punchy flair . . . a lively page-turner (NJ McGarrigle)
All stars
Most relevant
A riveting telling of a story I thought I knew well, having watched the 1950’s movie and subsequent 1970’s TV series.
This book sheds light on elements of the story previously untold. Highly recommend.

An unbiased telling of the full story of Colditz prison.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
If you have any internet in recent history, WWII or human ingenuity you should find this book fascinating and a jolly good story brilliantly narrated by the author.

A hugely interesting, fascinating, informative and important book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
So great to hear Ben MacIntyre read his own book! As one old enough to remember seeing Escape from Colditz on a black and white tv, it has been wonderful to hear that part of history again, so well written and carefully researched. I am really glad that Ben is writing these histories and that new generations will get to hear some of the greatest feats of courage and endurance that the wartime generation ever achieved. It’s not that long ago, less than 100 years, recent history. Keep writing Ben!

Wonderful!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
So enjoy listening to this book! Really well told balance of facts and insights into the people. Thank you

Amazing really great

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I have always enjoyed Ben’s books immensely whether that be in audio or written format. This one is no exception. He writes (and reads) in the style of a gripping novel and his subject matter is always fascinating.

Another Ben gem

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews